5 things to know about bicycle safety

Wednesday

Jul 28, 2010 at 12:01 AMJul 28, 2010 at 3:47 PM

Bicyclists should obey the rules of the road and drive defensively to avoid accidents.

Mike Maslanik

Bill Taylor, a cycling enthusiast and member of Canandaigua (N.Y.) Walkers and Cyclists, said parents should treat teaching their child to ride a bike as seriously as teaching them how to drive a car. Good, safe bike-riding habits may not prevent all accidents, but they can make them less likely.

“Ride defensively — you can be as careful as you can be and still end up in a hospital bed,” Taylor said.

Here are some other tips Taylor offered:

1. Never be where you aren’t expected. Don’t zip between cars, never pass vehicles on the wrong side of turning traffic, and do not ride on the sidewalk, especially if it is crowded. “When you’re riding with the traffic, don’t make any sudden movement, like a car changing lane without signaling,” Taylor said.

2. Establish “best practices.” Do everything in a safe, defensive manner. Always obey traffic laws. Signal intentions with hand signals and never be the first into an intersection, because cars run red lights. Keep proper bike etiquette in mind, first and foremost. “You have to think about safety first, not where you are going,” he said.

3. Be vivid. Unnatural colors are highly visible. Riding a bike is not the time to blend in. Use head and tail lights from dusk on. Even in the daytime, Taylor said he activates blinking red lights on his bicycle and wears bright green or yellow clothes.

4. Be smooth and predictable. Ride in as straight a line as possible and avoid weaving and swerving. “It confuses drivers,” Taylor said. He said bicyclists should ride far enough away from the curb and parked cars to ride without moving to the side.

5. Manage your space. Place yourself in the road in a way that defines your space. “You want to be visible, but you don’t want to invade a driver’s space,” Taylor said. This means things like riding on the left side of a bike lane to leave space for car doors and moving 1 foot or so to your left when approaching an intersection to prevent the right turn across your front.